World
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Desperate Housewives a much-needed hit for ABC
Now that the women of Sex and the City are off the streets, the nation's eyes are turning to a different quartet in a leafy suburban subdivision. ABC's new Desperate Housewives is the surprise hit of the television season. So is the tropical island drama Lost, making a network that many had given up for dead suddenly hip. It's all happened so fast for out Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry. "I had this concept around my house for two years and nobody did anything with it," he said. "I'm still kind of stunned."
With its Sunday time slot, Desperate Housewives seems to be filling a void left when Sex and the City went off the air in February--a vehicle for viewers, particularly women, to have a few laughs the night before a new work week begins. Both shows feature four beautiful women. But instead of navigating the single life in the world's most glamorous city, the Desperate Housewives women are dealing with the realities of life behind a facade of the American dream. "This is Sex and the City, the road not taken," said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University. While the finale of Sex and the City was seen by 10.6 million people last winter, the Desperate Housewives premiere boasted twice the audience. Drawn in by savvy promotion, good reviews, and curiosity about the title, viewers tried it and liked what they saw.
It joins shows such as The Apprentice, American Idol, and The Bachelor that in recent years drew instant buzz and became immediate hits. Notice something, though? Those are all reality programs. Few scripted series in the last few years have so quickly implanted themselves in the national consciousness. And contrary to other dramatic hits, Housewives has nothing to do with forensics (despite the mystery of what was dug out of the swimming pool) or lawyers. With six series, soon to be seven, citing either CSI or Law & Order in the title, Cherry sensed a hunger for something new. "I wanted to do something different," he said. "I wanted the shows to be a mixture of comedy and drama and mystery. I wanted it to be smart."
The Desperate Housewives parentage "is Malcolm in the Middle, Twin Peaks, Knots Landing--all of them different series, many of which have been off the air [for years]--put in a food processor and the 'high' button pushed," Thompson said. He wonders, though, if viewers will tire of its quirkiness. Thompson said he can't imagine what a sixth season of Desperate Housewives would look like. But Cherry said he's writing a soap opera, the kind that's been absent from prime time since the demise of Melrose Place. "At some point we might morph into a traditional style and the characters are so beloved, that people will go on the journey with us," he said.
The show's success might also be a sign that reality has hit a saturation point. Survivor and The Apprentice aren't going anywhere, but there have already been some notable failures this season: ABC's The Benefactor, Fox's The Next Great Champ, and NBC's Last Comic Standing. It may auger a shift as subtle as network executives favoring scripted series more than reality for midseason replacements, Thompson said. It's also no coincidence that NBC is now negotiating to make a pilot for Five Houses, from out creators Todd Holland and John Riggi, a comedy about five families living in a Los Angeles cul-de-sac. The script has been kicking around Hollywood for seven years.
Cherry can relate. With Desperate Housewives, he'd seen more rejection than a 5-foot-6 basketball player. HBO said it wasn't gritty enough. A CBS suit told him it was too dark for network chief Leslie Moonves's taste. NBC supposedly was choosing between Desperate Housewives and another script and chose the other. Fox thought it wasn't right for the network. So did Lifetime. ABC was willing to take the chance. With a miserable fourth-place showing last season, what did it have to lose? Still, its executives should be careful about declaring a comeback. Even with the two new hits, the network's average prime-time viewership of 10.2 million through the season's first three weeks is only slightly more than last year's 10 million. ABC's Friday night comedy lineup has been weak so far, and Mark Cuban's The Benefactor is a black hole for viewers.
As for Cherry, he had a moment of personal revelation last week. And who better to thank than Oprah Winfrey? He joined Desperate Housewives stars Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and Eva Longoria for an Oprah appearance that was aired Friday. Watching Winfrey talk to the actresses, it felt just like he was watching at home. Then she turned to him with a question. "That's when it hit me that something about this is profoundly different, that my life has really changed," he said. (AP)
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
We kiki with Jake Shears about Cabaret, Tammy Faye, Elton, and more
March 25 2024 9:52 AM
Prince William's aversion to spectacle created one — and might spawn a King Harry
March 22 2024 6:24 PM
Outrage after Oklahoma prosecutor declines charges in Nex Benedict bullying death
March 22 2024 5:21 PM
George Santos leaves Republican Party, will run for House seat as independent
March 22 2024 4:07 PM
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announces she has cancer
March 22 2024 2:57 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedProhibition Wellness & revolutionizing self-care for all
March 22 2024 1:19 PM
Tennessee bill would permit anti-LGBTQ+ foster and adoptee parents
March 22 2024 11:54 AM